1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information reproduction apparatus and an information reproduction method that can reproduce program information to which reproduction restriction information is added based on the reproduction restriction information.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known that, in order to prohibit illegal duplication of program information (contents) such as digital audio and video information to protect the copyright holder of the contents, reproduction restriction information such as an expiration date and the number of times the contents is allowed to be reproduced is added to the contents and recorded on a recording medium (for example, a CD (Compact Disk), MD (Mini-Disk), MO (Magneto-Optical) disk, or card-type recording medium such as MemoryStick (registered Japanese trademark)) that can be used with a given information reproduction apparatus and provided to a user, because of recent advances in digital audio/video information and data compression technology such as MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer 3), ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding) 3, and WMA.
The contents to which such reproduction restriction information is added can also be distributed to user""s information reproduction apparatus such as a personal computer, audio aparatus, small, lightweight mobile devices (a cellular phone or PHS (Personal Handy-Phone System, for example), or PD (Portable Device) via a computer network such as the Internet or a mobile communications network.
Moreover, the user can edit contents with restriction information recorded on the recording medium and record it in a desired reproduction order on another recording medium or record it on another recording medium together with another content to which no restriction information is added to an extent allowed by the reproduction restriction information.
An audio apparatus capable of reproducing such contents on a recording medium displays an error message and stops reproduction when it detects contents that become prohibited to be reproduced because the allowed number of reproduction times specified in reproduction restriction information is exceeded or an allowable reproduction term is expired while continuously reproducing the contents recorded on the recording medium.
However, stopping the reproduction each time a reproduction-prohibited content is encountered is extremely burdensome and inconvenience because a user who wants to continue reproducing contents recorded on the recording medium must manipulate a forward key.
In addition, in order for the user to see whether or not contents are prohibited to be reproduced, the user must select the contents to reproduce them.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an information reproduction apparatus and information reproduction method that retain continuous reproduction even if reproduction-prohibited program information is encountered during continuous reproduction of the program information to which reproduction restriction information is added and allow a user to readily check whether program information is prohibited to be reproduced.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by an information reproduction apparatus provided with: a continuous reproduction specifying device for specifying continuous reproduction of a plurality of items of program information recorded on the recording medium; a determination device for determining based on the reproduction restriction information whether an item of program information is prohibited to be reproduced; and a control device for starting the continuous reproduction of the item of program information if the continuous reproduction of the item of program information is specified through the continuous reproduction specifying device, wherein the control device causes an item of program information determined by the determination device as being prohibited to be reproduced to be skipped and the reproduction to be continued after the continuous reproduction is started.
According to the present invention, the apparatus is configured so as to automatically skip reproduction-prohibited program information encountered after starting continuous reproduction of the reproduction-prohibited program information and reproduction-allowed program information co-reside to be recorded on a recording medium, thereby allowing the continuous reproduction of the program information to be retained. Therefore, an easy-to-use information reproduction apparatus can be provided that allows the user to be relived of the burden of operating the apparatus to skip a reproduction-prohibited music track each time such track is encountered.
In one aspect of the information reproduction apparatus of the present invention, the apparatus further provides with a single-item reproduction device for specifying an item of program information among the plurality of items of program information recorded on the recording medium, when reproduction of a certain item of program information is specified by the single-item reproduction device, if the certain item of program information is determined by the determination device as being prohibited to be reproduced, the control device causes the reproduction of the item of program information to be stopped.
According to this aspect, the apparatus allows the user to readily check whether program information is prohibited to be reproduced.
In another aspect of the information reproduction apparatus of the present invention, if the continuous reproduction is specified through the continuous reproduction specifying device and reproduction of a certain item of program information is specified through the single-item reproduction device during the continuous reproduction of the items of program information, the control device causing the determination device to determine whether the specified certain item of program information is prohibited to be reproduced.
In further aspect of the information reproduction apparatus of the present invention, the control device causes the reproduction of the item of program information to be stopped if the specified certain item of program information is determined by the determination device as being prohibited to be reproduced.
In further aspect of the information reproduction apparatus of the present invention, the control device causes the specified certain item of program information to be reproduced and thereafter the continuous reproduction specified through the continuous reproduction specifying device to be continued if the specified certain item of program information is determined by the determination device as not being prohibited to be reproduced.
According to this aspect, the user can readily check whether desired program information is prohibited to be reproduced by specifying the program information during reproduction and, if it is shown that the program information is not reproduction-prohibited, the user can continue the continuous reproduction. Therefore, high convenience can be provided to the user.
In further aspect of the information reproduction apparatus of the present invention, the apparatus further provides with a display device for displaying information, the control device causes the display device to display information indicating that the item of program information determined by the determination device as being prohibited to be reproduced is prohibited to be reproduced.
According to this aspect, the user can visually identify reproduction-prohibited program information.
In further aspect of the information reproduction apparatus of the present invention, the reproduction restriction information includes information for restricting the number of times which the items of program information is allowed to be reproduced or information for restricting the term during which the items of program information is allowed to be reproduced.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by an information reproduction method provided with: a process of determining whether continuous reproduction of a plurality of program information recorded on the recording medium is specified; a process of determining whether reproduction of one item of program information among the plurality of items of program information recorded on the recording medium is specified; a process of determining based on the reproduction restriction information whether the item of program information is prohibited to be reproduced; a process of causing the continuous reproduction to be started and causing the item of program information determined as being prohibited to be reproduced to be skipped and the continuous reproduction to be continued if the continuous reproduction is specified; and a process of causing reproduction of the item of program information to be stopped if reproduction of the one item of program information is specified and the item of program information is determined as being prohibited to be reproduced.
According to the present invention, the method can be provided that allows the user to be relived of the burden of operating the apparatus to skip a reproduction-prohibited music track each time such a track is encountered. The user can readily identify reproduction-prohibited program information.